A paradox of freedom and the old rivalry between philosophy and politics

The dissertation considers the apparent tension in the realization that a remarkable amount of intellectual freedom is possible under authoritarian regimes, while political freedom may sometimes represent a grave threat to intellectual freedom. The central contention is that the apparent tension in this paradox of freedom should not be a cause of philosophical concern. When basic assumptions of the Enlightenment are challenged---notably, the optimism about linear historical progress and the unqualified faith in human equality---the tendency to see a paradox disappears.; Specifically, a belief in human progress leads to the expectation of a perfect harmony between intellectual and political freedom; while a view that political equality implies intellectual equality leads to the expectation of a unity between political and intellectual freedom. Greek political philosophers of the fifth century BC avoided these assumptions of the Enlightenment and thus were free of any such tension. I propose turning to those Greeks for alternative sources of inspiration about freedom and equality.